Chapter 52

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I stepped out from under the dark porch to watch Lucas in blatant awe as he rose into the sky, skimming the top layer of the forest. There were no wings behind his back, but when he'd left the ground, two bursts of wind had caused dust to swirl into the air, making me wonder if I simply couldn't see them.

Nick reached out softly for my arm before I could step further away from the cabin. "Come on, let's get inside. We don't know how well his barrier will hold up if we stay outside."

I nodded thoughtfully, as if I understood the mechanics behind magical barrier spells, and followed. I locked the door behind us and flipped the light switch on the familiar red and brown walls, making sure the thick curtains were drawn shut. I hadn't ventured here in the dark before, and it gave the cabin an ominous feel when combined with the isolating quietness of the forest. Everything was as we'd left it when I'd been here with Jackson and Lucas. The medical kit was still strewn open on the coffee table in the living room, and the kitchen's bin was stuffed with Jackson's bloody bandages.

None of this escaped Nick's notice as he slowly glanced around the cabin with a pained expression.

"Lucas bought you a cabin?" He asked, running his hand along the rough wall. If I hadn't been so attuned to his voice, I wouldn't have heard the alien vulnerability between his words.

I tried to force a reassuring smile. "He didn't buy it for me. He just thought I could use a place to study when I was sick of being cooped up at school."

"Seems a little excessive," He scoffed, but again, there was that peculiar undercurrent of tired envy.

I didn't know if I had it in me to comfort him right now, but I still tried. I reached out for his hand, gently interlacing his fingers with mine. The touch seemed to jolt him awake, and he met my eyes for the first time since we'd left the school. I had no idea what would come in the morning, but I didn't want to think about that. Not right now. We were safe, and drowsiness was keeping any nagging reservations I might have about Nick at a drowned distance.

"Come on, let's get some sleep." I insisted. "I don't know about demons' sleep schedules, but I'm definitely going to need a nap before fighting a horde of heavenly hosts."

"Nice alliteration," he said through an abrupt yawn. 

I only stopped for a moment before leading Nick into one of the upstairs bedrooms. It was strange enough that I was staying here with Nick when the cabin had been intended for me and Lucas, so I didn't have time to mull over the situation I was now faced with. Nick already looked half-asleep, so I knew I didn't have to overthink sharing a bed with him, regardless of what I might or might not want to happen. Still, I was about to sleep in the same bed as the boy I knew I was falling for. The worry stirring in my gut didn't make much sense, but it still felt as though I was surrending a small amount of control, having Nick see me when I slept so closely. So vulnerably.

Nick of course seemed unaware of what I was struggling with, and shuffled forward with his eyes shut. He collapsed onto the bed without a second thought, and kicked off his shoes a minute later. Oddly enough, his obliviousness seemed to ease my mind. This was just Nick. Not a demon, or whatever else he might claim himself to be in defence of his actions. Just the boy I'd met at the river, the first person to offer me some semblance of peace since Steph's accident. I quickly shook my qualms from my mind and stepped through the door. I left it ajar, and kicked off my own shoes. The sound seemed to rouse Nick, and he ruffled his hair sluggishly.

"Do you want me to go grab another bed?" He mumbled through another dazed yawn.

I felt my lip quirk up before answering with a soft kiss on his cheek, and crawled around to the other side of the bed.

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